Last updated 2 months ago
Patients lack control over their medical data, and current systems offer inadequate privacy and security for safely sharing sensitive health information while ensuring regulatory compliance
A secure medical data platform utilizing Atala Prism for patient-controlled identity and Midnight for privacy, enabling safe sharing of sensitive health information and ensuring regulatory compliance
Please provide your proposal title
Midnight and Atala Prism Enabled Medical DID
Enter the amount of funding you are requesting in ADA
200000
Please specify how many months you expect your project to last
10
Please indicate if your proposal has been auto-translated
No
Original Language
en
What is the problem you want to solve?
Patients lack control over their medical data, and current systems offer inadequate privacy and security for safely sharing sensitive health information while ensuring regulatory compliance
Supporting links
Does your project have any dependencies on other organizations, technical or otherwise?
No
Describe any dependencies or write 'No dependencies'
'No dependencies'
Will your project's outputs be fully open source?
Yes
Please provide details on the intellectual property (IP) status of your project outputs, including whether they will be released as open source or retained under another licence.
The project will be fully open source under the MIT License, with all code, documentation, and resources hosted on a public GitHub for community review. Open components include Midnight-based smart contracts, IPFS storage with privacy-preserving handling, OCR digitization of records, and Atala PRISM identity integration, ensuring transparency, security, and compliance while fostering collaboration and innovation in healthcare data management.
Please choose the most relevant theme and tag related to the outcomes of your proposal
Healthcare
Describe what makes your idea innovative compared to what has been previously launched in the market (whether by you or others).
This open-source, MIT-licensed platform delivers a privacy-first, patient-controlled medical data system using Midnight for privacy-preserving computation and Atala PRISM for identity. It covers the full data lifecycle—OCR digitization, encryption, decentralized storage, consent-based sharing, and HL7/FHIR interoperability—while embedding HIPAA, GDPR, and other healthcare compliance into its core for real-world deployment.
Describe what your prototype or MVP will demonstrate, and where it can be accessed.
The prototype will demonstrate OCR-based digitization of medical records, Atala PRISM identity integration, secure data encryption, and patient-controlled access permissions, with simulated HL7/FHIR exchange. Users will access it via a secure web app on a test domain, with open-source code and documentation published on a public GitHub repository for review, testing, and community feedback.
Describe realistic measures of success, ideally with on-chain metrics.
We will launch as a SaaS with one hospital, serving 50–60 patients, 2–3 doctors, 1–2 labs, and 2–3 pharmacies. This pilot will generate regular on-chain activity including patient identity creation, consent updates, encrypted record sharing, lab result submissions, and prescription transactions. Smart contracts will coordinate these workflows, ensuring privacy, interoperability, and measurable adoption, with the framework designed for seamless scaling to additional hospitals and healthcare providers.
Please describe your proposed solution and how it addresses the problem
A Comprehensive Solution for Secure Medical Data Management:
We aim to address the issue of insecure and fragmented medical data management by developing a secure, patient-controlled platform that digitizes, stores, and manages medical records in a decentralized and privacy-focused manner. By integrating Atala PRISM for digital identity, IPFS for decentralized storage, and Midnight for privacy-preserving data sharing, the platform revolutionizes how sensitive health information is managed and shared, ensuring privacy, efficiency, and patient autonomy.
Key Features of the Solution
Digitizing Paper Medical Records with OCR
The platform uses Optical Character Recognition (OCR) to digitize physical medical records, ensuring accurate capture and storage. Once digitized, these records are encrypted and stored securely using IPFS to provide decentralized, immutable storage, protecting medical data from loss or tampering.
See images:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/18w7T_4cLlsUlYQ1s92gFQ0j6goaSa3qn/view?usp=sharing
https://drive.google.com/file/d/17hEmZx8G7Ql3AsCTqIonACNTJiAEXkDx/view?usp=sharing
Document digitization captures the image of physical records, which are then processed using Optical Character Recognition (OCR) technology and encrypted before being stored. There are two repositories: the first one stores documents in a decentralized manner using IPFS, while the other serves as the information registry. Finally, an additional module is required to view the documents over the internet.
Atala PRISM for Decentralized Identity
Patients manage their own decentralized digital identity using Atala PRISM, allowing them to control who can access their medical records. This gives patients full control over their personal data and identity verification, ensuring secure access to the platform and its features.
Midnight for Private Data Sharing
Midnight ensures secure and private sharing of sensitive medical data, giving patients the ability to control who accesses their information. Healthcare providers, pharmacies, and insurers can securely receive the necessary data with patient consent, ensuring that only authorized parties have access.
See image
https://drive.google.com/file/d/14mHASsNCmAyaCCSrxAhDGLK0Nol5DyzI/view?usp=sharing
Comprehensive Medical Records Management
The platform provides an all-in-one solution for managing various types of medical data:
Patient Information Management: Includes demographic details, medical history, family medical history, and vaccinations.
Clinical Data Management: Manages lab results, diagnoses, vitals, and treatment plans.
Medication Management: Tracks prescriptions, allergies, interactions, and integrates with pharmacies for automated refills.
Appointment and Scheduling: Handles booking, history, and telemedicine consultations.
Billing and Insurance: Stores insurance details, claims history, and billing records, helping patients track payments and balances.
Documentation and Reports: Supports clinical notes, medical certificates, and digital signatures for legal compliance.
Patient Portal for Full Access and Control
Patients can access their medical records through an intuitive patient portal, enabling them to:
View their medical history, test results, and medications.
Communicate securely with healthcare providers.
Book and manage appointments or telemedicine consultations.
Data Privacy and Security:
The platform ensures HIPAA compliance (or equivalent local regulations), utilizing advanced encryption and Role-Based Access Control (RBAC) to protect data. Patients retain full control of their data and share it only with authorized healthcare providers.
Interoperability and Integration:
Adhering to healthcare standards such as HL7/FHIR, the platform allows seamless data sharing between hospitals, labs, and pharmacies, ensuring interoperability with existing systems. It also supports data import/export for smooth patient referrals and care coordination.
Analytics and Reporting:
The platform includes analytics tools for tracking clinical outcomes, operational efficiency, and population health data. AI-driven predictive analytics will provide personalized care recommendations and insights to promote preventive healthcare.
Onboarding Process for Patients:
Registration and Identity Verification: Patients register on the platform and verify their identity using Atala PRISM, ensuring secure, decentralized access.
Medical Record Upload and Digitization: Patients can upload physical documents, which are processed via OCR to digitize the records. These records are encrypted and stored on IPFS for decentralized storage.
Medical Data Management: Patients can view and manage their medical information, including lab results, personal details, prescriptions, and appointments, through an intuitive interface.
Secure Data Sharing: Using Midnight, patients can securely share their medical records with healthcare providers, pharmacies, or insurers.
Support and Education: The platform provides educational resources, helping patients navigate the system and manage their healthcare more effectively.
Unique Aspects of the Solution
Comprehensive Medical Records Platform
The platform offers a complete medical data management solution—from patient demographics to billing and insurance—delivering a unified experience for patients and healthcare providers.
Patient-Controlled Data
Patients have full control over their data, deciding when and with whom to share it. This puts the power back in the hands of the patients, empowering them to manage their health securely.
Decentralized and Private
The use of IPFS for storage and Midnight for private data sharing ensures the platform adheres to the highest standards of security, privacy, and healthcare compliance.
Impact and Benefits
This solution directly addresses the increasing demand for secure and private healthcare data management as demonstrated by the links provided above. By leveraging Cardano's capabilities through Atala PRISM, IPFS, and Midnight, the platform offers a revolutionary approach to managing and sharing sensitive health information. It improves healthcare efficiency, provides patient autonomy, and enhances data privacy and security, paving the way for future innovations in healthcare data management.
The platform showcases Cardano’s ability to solve real-world problems, particularly in the healthcare sector, by delivering privacy, decentralization, and interoperability. Its integration of medical records, insurance claims, and telemedicine services positions it as a solution with wide applicability and a profound impact on the industry. By empowering patients to take control of their medical data, the platform fosters autonomy and accountability in healthcare, improving patient outcomes and facilitating secure, efficient healthcare services on a global scale.
Please define the positive impact your project will have on the wider Cardano community
This project will bring substantial value to the Cardano community by demonstrating the real-world use of blockchain technology for secure, decentralized healthcare data management. Leveraging Atala Prism, IPFS, and Midnight, it will showcase Cardano’s capabilities in handling sensitive, high-stakes applications like medical records, ensuring patient privacy, data sovereignty, and interoperability. The success of the project will open up new opportunities for other industries to adopt decentralized solutions on Cardano.
Key Areas of Impact:
Showcase of Cardano’s Healthcare Potential:
By integrating Cardano’s technologies into a critical sector like healthcare, this project will demonstrate how blockchain can solve real-world problems, particularly in enhancing data privacy, security, and patient autonomy. It will highlight how Cardano can meet stringent regulatory requirements (e.g., HIPAA) while offering a scalable solution for healthcare providers.
Decentralization of Healthcare Data:
The use of IPFS for decentralized data storage and Midnight for private data sharing will emphasize the importance of decentralization in protecting sensitive health data. This will position Cardano as a viable platform for building privacy-preserving applications in multiple industries, not just healthcare.
Adoption of Atala Prism:
With Atala Prism as a central component for decentralized digital identities, this project will drive adoption and further development of Atala Prism in healthcare and beyond, fostering a broader understanding of how self-sovereign identities can be applied to various sectors.
Expanding the Use Cases of Midnight:
The project will also highlight the utility of Midnight in privacy-focused applications. As more use cases for Midnight emerge through this platform, it will strengthen the Cardano ecosystem by demonstrating how sensitive data can be managed securely.
Patient Empowerment and Healthcare Innovation:
Patients will gain full control over their medical data, empowering them to manage their health information securely and privately. This approach to data management encourages healthcare innovation and drives better outcomes, showcasing Cardano’s ability to improve the healthcare experience.
Measuring Impact:
We will use both quantitative and qualitative metrics to measure the success of the project:
Quantitative Metrics:
Number of Patients Onboarded: Track the number of patients who successfully register, verify their identity through Atala Prism, and upload their medical records. Each registration and digital identity token issuance will be recorded on the blockchain.
Volume of Medical Records Digitized: Use blockchain-based storage to track the number of medical records that are digitized, encrypted, and stored on IPFS.
Frequency of Data Sharing: Measure the number of transactions involving secure data sharing between patients, healthcare providers, pharmacies, and insurance companies using Midnight.
Platform Adoption: Track the number of active users (patients, healthcare providers, and insurers) engaging with the platform, as well as the number of appointments scheduled, lab results accessed, and prescriptions refilled.
Transaction Volume: Monitor the total number of transactions processed on the platform, indicating the platform’s activity level and success.
Qualitative Metrics:
User Feedback: Gather direct feedback from users through surveys and integrated feedback forms. This will allow us to assess user satisfaction, ease of use, and areas for improvement.
Healthcare Provider Collaboration: Measure the quality of engagement and collaboration between patients and healthcare providers. We will evaluate how effectively the platform facilitates care coordination and improves health outcomes.
Data Security and Compliance: Track compliance with data privacy regulations like HIPAA through audits and security reports to ensure the platform maintains robust privacy and security measures.
Sharing Outputs and Opportunities:
Open-Source Code and Documentation:
All core components, including smart contracts, identity protocols, and data storage mechanisms, will be open source and publicly accessible through a GitHub repository. This will allow the Cardano community to review, audit, and contribute to the project, fostering collaboration and innovation.
Reports and Case Studies:
We will publish detailed reports and case studies highlighting the project’s success, challenges, and lessons learned. These reports will be shared with the wider Cardano community through Catalyst forums, blogs, and presentations at Cardano events.
Workshops and Presentations:
We plan to host online workshops and presentations demonstrating the platform's capabilities, educating the Cardano community and healthcare professionals on how blockchain can be applied to healthcare.
Partnerships and Collaborations:
By demonstrating a working healthcare data solution, we will seek partnerships with healthcare providers, insurers, and governments, further expanding the Cardano ecosystem into critical sectors.
User Engagement and Marketing:
We will engage users via social media campaigns, community discussions, and collaborations with healthcare-focused entities to promote the platform’s use and educate the public on blockchain's role in healthcare.
This comprehensive strategy ensures that the project will have a meaningful and lasting impact on the Cardano ecosystem, healthcare industry, and the global push towards decentralized, privacy-focused healthcare solutions.
What is your capability to deliver your project with high levels of trust and accountability? How do you intend to validate if your approach is feasible?
Team Capabilities
Our project is supported by a team with deep expertise in healthcare data systems, blockchain engineering, identity solutions, and smart contract development. Combined with partnerships from established Cardano ecosystem organizations, we have the required capabilities to execute and scale this platform.
Core Team
Jose Velazquez — Project Lead & Healthcare Systems Specialist
Experienced Fund 7, Fund 8, and Fund 12 Cardano proposer
Background in biological sciences and healthcare workflows
Hands-on experience managing Laboratory Information Management Systems (LIMS)
Expertise in integrating healthcare data, regulatory compliance, and user onboarding
Jose’s healthcare and data management background ensures the platform meets real clinical needs, while his Cardano experience ensures strong project governance.
Subcontracted Expertise
To guarantee technical and regulatory success, we will work with specialized, reputable Cardano ecosystem partners:
Edda Labs — Midnight Smart Contracts
Experts in privacy-preserving computation
Capabilities in building compliance-focused smart contracts
Specialists in the Midnight tech stack
Ideal for handling sensitive medical data and access control
Impacto Labs — Cardano Smart Contracts (Plutus)
Proven developers of high-quality Plutus smart contracts
Strong expertise in Cardano architecture, UTxO design, and DApp security
Equipped to build scalable, auditable, production-grade blockchain components
Cardano Ecosystem Advisors
Additional advisors will support architecture, regulation, and best practices. Their guidance ensures alignment with Cardano’s standards and improves technical decision-making.
Feasibility
The project is feasible from both a technical and regulatory standpoint. We have a clear implementation roadmap, credible partners, and a strategy for compliance and long-term sustainability.
Technical Feasibility
The platform will be developed using a reliable, modern tech stack with clear modular responsibilities:
Frontend: React (web) and Flutter (mobile)
Data Processing: OCR for digitizing medical documents
Storage: Encrypted data stored securely via Iagon
Identity: Atala PRISM for decentralized, verifiable identities
Smart Contracts:
Midnight for privacy and compliance
Cardano (Plutus) for general logic and platform operations
Each component has a well-defined purpose, and all underlying technologies are mature and ready for deployment.
Feasibility Strengths:
Clear separation of backend, identity, and smart contract layers
Direct access to experts via Edda Labs and Exura Labs
Modular design enabling fast PoC development
Smart contract audits built into the development cycle
Quarterly progress reports to maintain transparency and track deliverables
Regulatory Feasibility
Healthcare data requires compliance with laws such as HIPAA and regional privacy regulations. Our design incorporates regulatory compliance from the beginning:
Privacy-first smart contracts on Midnight
Decentralized identity through Atala PRISM
Restricted and auditable data access
Regular independent audits of compliance workflows
By storing identifiable data off-chain (encrypted via Iagon) and using the blockchain only for access logic, we maintain compliance while leveraging the benefits of decentralization.
Operational Feasibility
The project’s operations are structured to ensure successful delivery:
Milestone-based fund release ensures responsible budget use
Third-party audits validate compliance and data security
Stakeholder engagement led by Jose ensures smooth adoption by patients, doctors, and pharmacies
Testing with real healthcare workflows ensures usability and relevance
Because the team has practical experience in healthcare and blockchain, operational rollout is realistic and aligned with real-world needs.
Scalability Feasibility
The system is designed to expand once the PoC is validated:
Telemedicine integration
AI-powered diagnostic and record-processing tools
Multi-clinic interoperability
Expanded data-sharing frameworks
The modular architecture ensures new capabilities can be added without restructuring the core system.
Conclusion: Strong Capabilities + High Feasibility
With a well-qualified team, partnerships with Edda Labs and Exura Labs, regulatory safeguards, and a clear roadmap, the project is both capable and feasible. The technical and operational foundations ensure that the platform can be delivered efficiently, securely, and in compliance with healthcare standards.
Milestone Title
Platform Architecture, Compliance & Initial Backend Setup
Milestone Outputs
Acceptance Criteria
Evidence of Completion
Delivery Month
3
Cost
42500
Progress
30 %
Milestone Title
Smart Contract Development (Midnight & Cardano) + Core Backend
Milestone Outputs
Acceptance Criteria
Evidence of Completion
Delivery Month
5
Cost
42500
Progress
50 %
Milestone Title
Document Digitization & Security Infrastructure
Milestone Outputs
Acceptance Criteria
Evidence of Completion
Delivery Month
7
Cost
42500
Progress
70 %
Milestone Title
Full Integration, Patient Portal & Atala PRISM Deployment
Milestone Outputs
Acceptance Criteria
Evidence of Completion
Delivery Month
9
Cost
42500
Progress
90 %
Milestone Title
Testing, Security Audits, Launch & Close-out Report
Milestone Outputs
Acceptance Criteria
Evidence of Completion
Delivery Month
10
Cost
30000
Progress
100 %
Please provide a cost breakdown of the proposed work and resources
Development & Integration – 160,000 ADA (80%)
Front-End Development (React & Flutter) – 40,000 ADA
Covers UI/UX design, patient portal, doctor/pharmacy/lab interfaces. Industry standard for healthcare SaaS is to allocate 20–25% of dev budget to front-end for usability and accessibility compliance.
Back-End Development & API Integration – 44,000 ADA
Includes secure server-side logic, patient record management, and integration with IPFS, Atala PRISM, and Midnight for privacy-preserving data sharing. Weighted higher due to healthcare’s strict security requirements.
Smart Contract Development (Aiken) – 30,000 ADA
Enables on-chain consent management, audit logs, and secure patient-doctor data access. Healthcare compliance requires more extensive testing and auditing than other sectors.
Data Security & Compliance Implementation – 20,000 ADA
HIPAA/GDPR-compliant encryption, role-based access control, and multi-factor authentication. Industry benchmarks suggest 10–15% of dev costs should go to security in medical SaaS.
Database & Storage Architecture – 10,000 ADA
Combination of decentralized storage (IPFS) for medical records and cloud hosting for non-sensitive data. Optimized for cost-efficiency while meeting compliance.
System Testing & Quality Assurance – 16,000 ADA
Unit, integration, penetration, and compliance testing to meet healthcare regulatory standards. QA is critical in medical applications and must be weighted heavily in cost justification.
Infrastructure & Hosting – 20,000 ADA (10%)
Cloud Hosting & Storage – 10,000 ADA
High-availability hosting with auto-scaling to ensure uninterrupted service for hospitals, clinics, and pharmacies.
Blockchain Infrastructure Costs – 6,000 ADA
Fees for transactions, smart contract deployment, and IPFS pinning services for long-term data persistence.
Monitoring & Maintenance Tools – 4,000 ADA
Server monitoring, error tracking, and performance analytics to maintain SLA compliance.
Licensing, Tools & Documentation – 10,000 ADA (5%)
Development Tools & Framework Licenses – 5,000 ADA
Paid APIs, premium security modules, and healthcare-compliant integration services.
Technical Documentation & User Manuals – 5,000 ADA
Detailed guides for hospitals, doctors, pharmacies, and labs to adopt the system efficiently.
Contingency & Risk Mitigation – 10,000 ADA (5%)
Reserved for unforeseen compliance updates, security vulnerabilities, or blockchain network fee spikes.
How does the cost of the project represent value for the Cardano ecosystem?
This 200k ADA investment offers exceptional value for money by delivering a fully functional, industry-grade medical data digitization platform capable of scaling to handle an entire nation’s healthcare system. With 80% of the budget allocated directly to development, every ADA is strategically directed toward core technical delivery—covering secure architecture, advanced OCR integration, Atala PRISM identity management, Midnight privacy modules, blockchain transaction logic, and interoperability APIs.
The platform’s scalable design means the initial deployment not only digitizes and secures patient records but can seamlessly expand to integrate national hospitals, clinics, pharmacies, and laboratories. Once operational, the system generates ongoing blockchain transactions for record updates, patient-doctor interactions, prescription issuance, and insurance claims—driving consistent on-chain activity and long-term Cardano ecosystem utility.
Beyond immediate implementation, this solution lays the foundation for a national e-health infrastructure that meets global privacy standards, reduces inefficiencies, and provides verifiable medical data access in seconds. The return on investment compounds over time as adoption grows—positioning the platform as a cornerstone of healthcare modernization and a continuous generator of blockchain transaction volume, fees, and real-world utility.
I confirm that evidence of prior research, whitepaper, design, or proof-of-concept is provided.
Yes
I confirm that the proposal includes ecosystem research and uses the findings to either (a) justify its uniqueness over existing solutions or (b) demonstrate the value of its novel approach.
Yes
I confirm that the proposal demonstrates technical capability via verifiable in-house talent or a confirmed development partner (GitHub, LinkedIn, portfolio, etc.)
Yes
I confirm that the proposer and all team members are in good standing with prior Catalyst projects.
Yes
I confirm that the proposal clearly defines the problem and the value of the on-chain utility.
Yes
I confirm that the primary goal of the proposal is a working prototype deployed on at least a Cardano testnet.
Yes
I confirm that the proposal outlines a credible and clear technical plan and architecture.
Yes
I confirm that the budget and timeline (≤ 12 months) are realistic for the proposed work.
Yes
I confirm that the proposal includes a community engagement and feedback plan to amplify prototype adoption with the Cardano ecosystem.
Yes
I confirm that the budget is for future development only; excludes retroactive funding, incentives, giveaways, re-granting, or sub-treasuries.
Yes
I Agree
Yes
José Velazquez – Project Lead & SaaS Integration Coordinator
Intersect Budget Committee member managing multi-million ADA budgets and governance oversight. Fund 7, 8, and 12 proposer with a proven track record in transparency, tech delivery, and stakeholder engagement. Experienced in SaaS integration, blockchain healthcare platforms, and decentralized governance. Co-host of blockchain/governance workshops across Latin America, leading multi-stakeholder healthcare and data privacy projects.
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jose-velazquez-809665186/
To be hired/subcontracted (already engaged):
Midnight – Privacy-Preserving Data Sharing
Focus: Secure, encrypted sharing of medical records
Tasks:
Patient-controlled encrypted sharing via IPFS
Consent verification & revocation on-chain
Privacy-preserving access auditing
Integrate with Atala PRISM DIDs
Deliverables: Midnight contracts, end-to-end demo, integration documentation
GitHub: https://github.com/MeshJS/midnight-contracts
DemocracyOnChain / Vortecsmaster Team – Storage & OCR
Focus: Medical record digitization and decentralized storage
Tasks:
OCR digitization of physical medical records
Encrypt and store records securely on IPFS
Implement access control and retrieval mechanisms for patient DIDs
Deliverables: OCR pipeline, encrypted storage system, integration docs
GitHub: https://github.com/Vortecsmaster